Support strap for electron gun assemblies



Jan. 22, 1957 A. J. FAUSTINI ETAL 2,778,966

SUPPORT STRAP FOR ELECTRON GUN ASSEMBLIES Filed March 2, 1955 FIG.I.

\ \ll llllH INVENTORS ALBERT J. FAUSTlNI,

ROBERT T. M6 KENZIE,

BY THEIR ATTORNE United States Patent:v

SUPPORTSTRAP FQR ELECTRON GUN ASSEMBLIES Albert J. Faustini, Gainesville, Fla., and Robert T. Mc-

Kenzie, North Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application March 2, 1955, Serial No. 491,653

11 Claims. (Cl. 313-82) This invention relates to cathode ray tubes, and more particularly, to support structures for electron gun assemblies of cathode raytubes;

Heretofore, cathode ray tube gm assemblies have been proposed that employ insulative support rods disposed in parallel, spaced relation to an aligned array of electrode elements. The individual electrode elements of the gun have been separately connected to the support rods by means of strap members having a portion adapted to be afiixed to the supported electrode element and other portions that are adapted to be connected to the rods.

In prior-known arrangements, portions of the straps have been connected to the insulative rods by forming the ends of such portions to provide loops adapted tightly to receive the rods. Alternatively, it has been proposed to secure such portions of the strap to the rods by forcing blunt-end portions thereof into the rods while the latter are in a molten state and thereafter allowing the same to cool.

According to either of prior-known methods described herein, disadvantages have been found to reside therein particulafly in the fact that the anchoring action thereby provided has lacked adequate rigidity and bond to maintain the elements of the gun in the precise space alignment required for efficient operation. Additionally, the prior-known methodsv of anchoring the straps in theinsulative rods have proved to be relatively expensive and thus substantially increased the cost ofmanufacture of such gun assemblies.

It is, accordingly, a principal object of the present invention to provide a new and improved "support strap that provides increased rigidity of support for the component parts of the electron gun assembly and also results in considerable cost saving in the manufacture of such assemblies.

Another object is to provide support means for cathode ray gun assemblies wherein portions of said means are provided with recesses adapted to be completely filled with fiowable material to provide positive anchorage therefor.

In the attainment of the foregoing objects of our invention, we provide a novel strap member for use in assembly of cathode ray tube guns, said member having portions formed with undercut recesses or cutouts adapted to receive the flow of molten insulative material when said portions are inserted under pressure therein, thereby to form, on cooling, a positive and rigid anchor for the strap.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent after a consideration of the specification and drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a cathode ray tube gun structure embodying features of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary elevational views, partly in cross-section, of two modified embodiments of our invention.

In Fig. 1, an electron gun is shown located in the neck 2,778,966 Pattentedllan. 22, 1957 portion 11 of a cathode ray tube envelope, said gun comprising the usual cathode and control grid electrode assembly 13, a number two or screen grid 15, an anode 17 and magnetic focusing means generally indicated at 19, each of which elements or assemblies may be of any suitable conventional design and for purposes well known to those skilled in the art. Lead lines connecting the elements 13, l5and 17 to the closed end of the neck portion 11 are not shown inasmuch as the arrangements thereof and the mode of connection are also well known to those skilled in the art, and, per se, form no part of our invention.

Spacer clips 20 of anysuitable conventional type can be used to maintain the gun assembly in proper spaced relation to the wall of the neck portion 11, as is wellknown.

It will, ofcourse, be understood that while the present invention is described in association with a magneticfocus type of gun structure, it is by no means limited to this particular type of gun, it being clear that elements similar to those illustrated at 13, 15 and 17 or equivalent are commonly employed in electrostatic-focus guns of the so called bent-gun, tilted-straight-gun, or other types.

For maintaining the electrode elements 13, 15 and 17 in spaced alignment, one or more insulative or glass rods or beads 19,21 are provided in parallel, spaced relation with respect to the electrode elements, and, as shown, the cathode and control-grid assembly 13, the screen grid 15, and anode 17 are connected to the glass beads 19, 21 by means of heading straps 23, 25, 27 and 29, respectively, which are constructed and arranged in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The beading straps 23, 25, 27 and 29 may be similarly constructed and may be formed generally, as shown more clearly in Fig. 2, of any suitable still material to provide a central semi-cylindrical body portion 31 from the diametrally-opposed end portions of which, radially extending arms 33, 35 maybe formed in any suitable manner as by bendingor stamping. The arms 33, 35, as shown, are preferably disposed in substantially coplanar relation and have terminal portions that are formed to provide undercut shoulders or recesses as shown more clearly in Fig. 1 at 37 and 39. In a preferred form, the recesses 37, 39 are formed by punching or die-stamping the terminal portions of the arms to form, in plan, a substantially script-E-shaped opening therein defined by slightly hooked, bulbous tipped tines 40, 42 and a central cusp 44. If desired or required, a plurality of such intermediate cusps can be provided.

In assembling the gun structure, the body portion 31 of the strap ,23 is snugly fitted around and attached to the side wall of the cathode-assembly cylinder 13 by any suitable conventional means as by spot welding, and the terminal portions may be pressed into the glass rods while the latter are in molten state, thereby to permit the molten glassto flow into and completely fill the recessed portions '37 and 39. After the glass has been allowed to cool and set, the portions of the glass forced into the recessed portions become firmly bound to the strap to provide extremely rigid'anchoring of the beading strap in the glass rods. The beading straps at 25, 27 and 29, as shown in Fig. l, are similarly formed in the manner described herein above in connection with strap 23.

A modified form of heading strap is shown in Fig. 3 in which the cusp 44 of the strap of Figs. 1 and 2 has been omitted. Here, the undercut shoulder is provided by stamping or punching out a portion of the terminal of the strap to provide a substantially C-sliaped opening 46 formed by a pair of slightly curved bulbous tipped tines 48 and 50. The terminal portion just described has been found to operate satisfactorily especially where the width of the strap and terminal portions are somewhat less than those of the strap shown and described in connection with Figs. 1 and 2.

Another modification of our invention is shown in Fig. 4 in which a pair of undercut recess portions are provided as at 41 and 43 separated by a centrally disposed bulbous projection 45 formed with an arcuate leading edge 47.

In Figs. 1, 3 and 4 the direction of flow of molten glass is indicated by arrows 51, illustrating the manner in which the molten glass completely fills the space provided by the undercut recessed portions, thereby to provide positive locking and rigid anchoring of the invention.

It will be understood that while glass beads or rods have been described hereinabove, rods of other insulative materials can be similarly employed, such as quartz, mica, ceramic or the like, as the base for anchoring the electrode elements of the gun assembly.

It will be understood further that, if desired, the cylindrical body portion 31 of the straps hereinabove described can be omitted, the leg portions 33, 35 then being connected directly to diametrally opposed parts of the associated electrode cylinder as by spot welding.

Also, it will be understood that such leg portions can be formed integrally with the associated electrode cylinder, as for example by striking out portions of the cylinder wall to form such leg portions.

Although the present invention has been illustrated by specific examples, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Support strap means for a cathode ray tube electrode element, said strap means comprising, a body portion adapted to be afiixed to said electrode element, and terminal portions adapted to be anchored in insulative members, said terminal portions being formed to provide recesses to receive, under pressure, flowable material of said members therewithin.

2. Support strap means for electron tube elements comprising a body portion adapted to be affixed to said elements, a terminal portion being formed to provide recesses into which flowable material can be forced.

3. In an electron gun structure having a plurality of electron-beam controlling means adapted to be maintained in alignment by a plurality of glass rod members, strap means for each said controlling means having a body portion adapted to be affixed to the associated controlling means, and terminal portions adjacent said body portions for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being formed to define at least a pair of recesses to receive part of the glass of said rod members in the molten state therewithin.

4. An electron gun structure, comprising a plurality of electron-beam controlling means, a plurality of glass rod members for supporting said controlling means in spaced alignment, strap means for each said controlling means having a portion adapted to be affixed to the associated controlling means, and other portions adjacent said first-mentioned portion for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being and formed to provide, in plan, substantially E-shaped cutouts to receive, under pressure, glass in the molten state therewithin.

5. An electron gun structure, comprising a plurality of electron-beam controlling means, a plurality of glass rod members for supporting said controlling means in space alignment, strap means for each said controlling means having a portion adapted to be afiixed to the associated controlling means, and other portions adjacent said first-mentioned portion for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being and formed to provide, in plan, substantially C-shaped cutouts to receive, under pressure, glass in the molten state therewithin.

6. An electron gun structure, comprising a plurality of electron-beam controlling means, a plurality of glass rod members for supporting said controlling means in space alignment, strap means for each said controlling means having a portion adapted to be aflixed to the associated controlling means, and other portions adjacent said first-mentioned portion for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being and formed to provide, in plan, means defining a pair of arcuate recesses spaced by a bulbous projection, said recesses being adapted to receive, under pressure, glass in the molten state therewithin.

7. An electron gun structure, comprising a plurality of electron-beam controlling means, a plurality of glass rod members for supporting said controlling means in space alignment, strap means for each said controlling means having a portion adapted to be affixed to the associated controlling means, and other portions adjacent said first-mentioned portion for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being and formed to provide, in plan, means defining a pair of arcuate recesses spaced by a bulbous projection, said recesses being adapted to receive, under pressure, glass in the molten state therewithin said projection having an arcuate leading edge.

8. An electron gun structure, comprising a plurality of electron-beam controlling means adapted to be supported in spaced alignment by an insulative member, means on said controlling means for anchoring the latter into said rod members, said anchoring means comprising a pair of bulbous-tipped projections disposed to define a recess to receive glass in the molten state therewithin.

9. The structure as defined in claim 8, wherein said projections are disposed in spaced relation.

10. For use in an electron gun structure having a plurality of electron-beam controlling means supported in spaced alignment by a plurality of glass rod members, strap means having a body portion adapted to be affixed to individual ones of said controlling means and terminal portions adjacent said body portions for anchoring into said rod members, said terminal members being formed to receive glass in the molten state therewithin.

11. Support strap means for electron tube elements comprising a body portion adapted to be aflixed to said elements, a terminal portion being formed to provide a recess into which flowable material can be forced.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,484,004 Adams Oct. 4, 1949 2,562,752 Torgeson July 31, 1951 2,573,287 Szegho Oct. 30, 1951 2,596,508 Phillips et a] May 13, 1952 

